You may or may not know, but the end is near for the standard incandescent bulb. Which means, you might want to buy what you can find while you can find it because they’ll never been as cheap again.

On Jan. 1 it will become illegal to manufacture or import traditional 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs, thanks to a 2007 bill that set strict minimum efficiency standards – and effectively outlawed the ordinary bulb.

It doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to buy them after the 1/1/2014. It just means that no one will manufacture them anymore and stores will not receive any more shipments. According to this article, Home Depot has been stocking up and estimates they have a 6 month supply of the bulbs.

I don’t know about you but I plan to buy at least one box every time I walk into a store. Any store, any time. Just so I can have a nice stockpile. I don’t particularly like the other kinds of bulbs. Nor do I like how much they cost. And no, I don’t think what they save me in electricity costs offsets the cost of the bulb. And those CFL bulbs that are supposed to last longer? That’s a crock of bull if I’ve ever heard one. There are two in the light fixture above me right now and two in the light fixture across the hall in Bug’s room. In each fixture one of the two CFLs is out. I have incandescent bulbs over the mirror in my bathroom that have been in there for YEARS and these CFLs above me have been in less than one. I’m not buying that it’s “longer lasting”. Plus, I hate the way those twisty bulbs look in open fixtures. And they are fluorescent. I don’t like fluorescent light in my house.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you’ll still be able to buy non-twisty bulbs – it’s not the shape that’s being outlawed – they’re just going to cost more because they are going to be made differently than the standard incandescent.

I think the curly lightbulb thing is ridiculous. They are loaded with Mercury, from what I read. I had them in the light above my cooking island. I had headaches all the time. I removed them-no headaches. I heard they are not allowed in some countries for health reasons. I don’t have further info on that, so you might want to check it on the Internet. Why can’t they just leave well enough alone?! I’m buying a bunch of the old kind this week. Thanks for the warning.